Solution-Based Photo-Patterned Gold Film Formation on Silicon Nitride.

Silicon nitride fabricated by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) to be silicon-rich (SiNx), is a ubiquitous insulating thin film in the microelectronics industry, and an exceptional structural material for nanofabrication. Free-standing <100 nm thick SiNx membranes are especially compelling, particularly when used to deliver forefront molecular sensing capabilities in nanofluidic devices. We developed an accessible, gentle, and solution-based photodirected surface metallization approach well-suited to forming patterned metal films as integral structural and functional features in thin-membrane-based SiNx devices-for use as electrodes or surface chemical functionalization platforms, for example-augmenting existing device capabilities and properties for a wide range of applications.